If You're Gone
by Alex-Chan
Summary: A Bulma x Vejita Romance. Contains song "If You're Gone," by Matchbox 20 (But you can still like the fic even if you don't like the song). This takes place 6 months after Cell Game. What happens when Bulma breaks down, takes baby Trunks, and leaves Veji


Konnichiwa Minna-san~! Happy Holidays! ^_- Wow, this fic took me a LONG time to write! Gomen for not getting it out faster, I've had two big art projects to finish that really needed to be done. Anyways, onigai review! I'm really iffy on how I feel this turned out, so tell me what you think! Plus, tell me if I should take all the Japanese terms out or not. And Arigato as always for those who have reviewed before, I take all your comments to heart. Oh, and if anybody's been reading "Omake Mikos," I took it down just because I have no plans on continueing it anytime soon. Well, on with the fic! 

**Japanese Terms:**   
Arigato- Thank You   
Baka- Idiot   
-chan- friendly suffix for a female friend/relative   
Chikyuu- Earth   
Chikyuujin- Earthling   
Hai- Yes   
Iie- No   
Kaa-san- Mother   
Kami-sama- God   
Konbanwa- Good Evening/Good Night   
Konnichiwa- Good Day   
Nani- What   
Ne- almost like "huh", as in "You didn't think I would, huh?"   
Oi- Hey   
Onna- Woman   
Otu-san- Father   
Ouji- Prince   
Saiyajin No Ouji- Prince of Saiyajins   
-san- respectful suffix used mostly as "Mrs. or Mr."   
Shimatta- Damn Or Damn It   
Yaro- Bastard   
  
Disclaimer: I still don't and never will own the DBZ Universe. Toriyama-sama does, and Matchbox 20 owns "If You're Gone,". Enjoy!   
  
Midnight crept into the bedroom between cracked French doors. Thin velvet   
curtains swayed slightly as a cool breeze ran it's way through the soft fabric and to   
Bulma's nude form. Goosebumps pricked up upon the onna's perfect skin as the draft   
wafted over her half blanketed body.   
Slowly, she lifted a fragile hand from her side into the vacuous evening air.   
Moonlight filtered through the dwelling's windows and illuminated it's slim wrist and   
dainty fingers in intricate patterns. The lady lay there, turning her palm every which way,   
observing how the pale glow played over her tiny grasp. Polished nails gave off iridescent   
glints and gleams which all seemed to shine far from where she lie. For some reason, the   
onna could hardly recognize the grip as her own. It seemed more like a vision from a   
midsummer's night dream, cloaked in a mystic allure.   
Silence hung heavily from the rafters, only being cut by one vivid sound. Aqua   
locks falling away from large eyes, Bulma turned to gaze upon the saiyajin no ouji that   
slumbered at her side. Vejita's muscular build for once was relaxed as he lay on his   
stomach, one large arm tossed lazily over the onna's bare waist. She studied the man's   
calm expression as he slept. Stone carved features were void of all signs of tension,   
looking almost content. Thick lips were parted, a low snore escaped their keeper. It was   
like a heavy cat's purr, thick, throaty, and full.   
Choking back a helpless sob, Bulma remembered how much she used to love the   
noises Vejita made in his sleep. The onna would stay up hours after he dozed off, cuddled   
close to his warm body, listening to the feline-like intonation. Many happy memories were   
made by simply letting that deep rumbling note lull her into a serene dreamworld.   
That was when the couple had first begun to sleep together. Now, the sound only   
instilled a gradually throbbing pain inside her chest. With every one of his coarse breaths,   
morning neared. When it dawned Bulma knew she would have to live another solitary day   
and spend another empty night with the ouji.   
Maybe if he wasn't so cold the lady wouldn't constantly feel so hopeless. Vejita   
was always so callous during daylight, as if he was born of grit and steel rather than flesh   
and blood. _You know, I never expected you to change... _ she thought, wistfully reaching   
to brush his widow's peak gently with her knuckles.   
The action caused another flood of emotions to wash over the onna's body. Anger   
at the both of them sucker punched her gut, physically knocking air from her lungs. It was   
edged with confusion about how their lives ever twisted into this pitifully relationship.   
The now familiar weight of sorrow crushed Bulma as rough tears ravaged her fragile   
cerulean eyes. She let them run down pale cheeks without a sound.   
Then, slipping into the onna without warning, the empty tinge of loneliness   
dominated her senses. No matter what she did, at the end of the day the terrible feeling   
always returned. It frustrated the lady to no end. Having a man so close, yet feeling like   
he was always miles from where she stood.   
Drowning in the consuming ugliness of vile feeling, Bulma exhausted herself. She   
didn't want to think about the rigors of reality anymore that night. Turning away from the   
ouji, Bulma didn't bother to wipe away the remnants of her latest emotional battle. _ ...I_   
_only hoped..._ was the lady's last coherent thought before falling into a fitful dreamless   
slumber. 

_~*~ I think I've already lost you ~*~_

With an exaggerated yawn, Vejita lifted his heavy warrior's build from the silk   
sheets. As he rubbed the last shards of sleep from dark eyes with a large hand, the ouji   
turned to look where Bulma normally slept in the soft sheen of warm blankets. A barely   
noticeable imprint grazed the lavish mattress beside him.   
Surprised, the saiyajin slowly traced the odd shape with his battle worn fingers.   
_Strange._ The lively onna had awaken before him. Even though the two were both   
normally early risers, the blue banged lady was rarely up before her wild haired counter   
part.   
In fact, as Vejita sat thinking, he couldn't remember one instance since Cell Game   
ended some months ago where she had been up before him. Usually the saiyajin no ouji   
woke with the first rays of light that entered their large bedroom. Then, the man would   
promptly dress and finally fly from the onna's cool metal balcony to the gravity room   
where he'd spend a majority of the day.   
There wasn't much else to do with Cell obliterated from the universe. Trunks,   
now about a year and a half old, was still too young to train even by saiyajin standards.   
Vejita had briefly considered spending time with Bulma before hastily pushing the thought   
from his mind.   
There was no point in denying he and Chikyuujin had bonded. The ouji had   
already come to that conclusion. He was, though, at a loss of how to deal with the   
development. Bonding was a genetic weakness that had supposedly been bred out of the   
royal lineage centuries ago. But, for whatever reason, it had returned in his blood. That   
fact was more annoying to him than the gullibility Chikyuujins, who honestly believed the   
baka Mr. Satan had saved their world from ultimate destruction.   
Continuing to trace the soft lines Bulma had left in the silk sheets, Vejita straitened   
up. A tantalizing scent from the downstairs kitchen found it's way through the cracked   
bedroom door and to the saiyajin's sensitive nostrils. The smell of salty bacon and thick   
pancakes began to fill the room. _Nani? She's cooking on her own freewill!?_   
The onna never prepared food without him ordering it of her. Even then, most of   
the time the ouji would end up foraging the fridge to find his own meal. Seeing as that   
Bulma's otu-san and kaa-san were out of the country for a few weeks, she was the only   
one left in the house that could cook.   
Finally getting out of the feathery bed, Vejita grabbed a pair of dark pajama pants   
at his feet. Hastily, he pulled the garment on and tied the waistband in a tight knot. With   
a few long strides the saiyajin no ouji was at the entrance of the room. Not bothering to   
shut the door behind him, he began to walk down the long row of stairs to the kitchen   
below. 

_~*~ I think you're already gone ~*~_

Bulma's slim back was to the saiyajin as he entered the bright kitchen. Soft   
morning streaks shone through the small window above the glistening steel sink. The light   
reflected off an ornate sun-catcher, sending different colored beams all across the spotless   
room.   
Standing silently in front of the oven's burners, the onna was set at tossing fluffy   
golden pancakes and frying fat stripes of bacon. A bowl covered in slick batter sat   
discarded on the counter next to her as flashes of forest green and auburn red shines   
danced in the lady's cyan hair. It was pulled away from sea shaded eyes into a frizzy mess   
by a single clip. Plush clung to her body in the form of an eggshell hued sleeping robe.   
Upon entering, the ouji immediately noticed the absence of Bulma's high pitched   
squeal. There were no greetings for him this morning. The only recognition of his   
presence was the crisp crackles of the bacon cooking.   
"Oi onna, what's your problem?," he asked nonchalantly. Vejita's voice wouldn't   
betray him uneasiness with the situation. Tension seemed to smother the saiyajin's   
intuition as he took his seat at the kitchen table. Nervously tapping a large index finger   
against it's smooth top, the ouji waited for the answer that never came.   
The coffemaker gurgled to a start as it began to dispense murky liquid into a bright   
yellow mug which, somehow, didn't fit the agitated mood of the kitchen.   
"Hmph. You're up early.," he spoke as Bulma reached into a high cupboard to   
grab a large plate. Placing it flat on the counter with some noise, she shut off the stove's   
burners and began to stack perfectly cooked pancakes and rich slabs of bacon on the   
platter.   
"I didn't feel like being abandoned today.," She spoke softly, sorrow playing in   
the undertones of her normally cheerful speech. The onna grabbed the unusual mug from   
the coffemaker as she balanced Vejita's breakfast in one hand before setting the overly   
piled dish in front of him. _Nani?_ he thought, caught utterly off guard by her comment.   
Ebony eyes followed the lady as she seated herself across from him, refusing to   
meet their gaze. Bulma just slouched in the kitchen chair while wrapping her long fingers   
around the coffee cup, gripping it for dear life. Vejita tried his best to ignore how frail and   
hopelessly sad she looked just then. Eating quickly, the saiyajin kept pushing his mind   
toward the training he would be doing that day.   
The trick didn't work as well as he had hoped, though.   
"Onna--," a soft crying interrupted him. It's vivacious tone cracked the air around   
the couple. Bulma jumped at it, as if the wail had just saved her life.   
"Trunks needs me.," The words desperately spilled from her pursed lips in a   
jumble. It seemed like she was looking for an excuse to flee from the man. The onna   
practically ran from the room, only leaving the retreating sound of padded steps in her   
wake. 

_~*~ I think I'm finally scared now ~*~_

Floating millimeters above the carpeting in front of his son's room so as not to be   
heard, Vejita peeked into the dismal setting. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn to   
cloak kaa-san and child in shadow. Clutching the infant to her chest, Bulma gently rocked   
the small thing back and forth in a soothing manner. A low humming came from her pale   
form. It's melody felt like Deja vu to the saiyajin, but he couldn't quite place exactly   
where he heard the haunting tune before.   
Eyelids shut, the beautiful baby boy nestled against his kaa-san's breast as he   
relaxed his little body into a peaceful nap. The scene was serene in a melancholy fashion.   
Vejita gradually lowered himself to the floor as the child sat up and gave out a short cry.   
Bulma turned to see the ouji standing sternly by the open bedroom door. Her breath   
caught as he only stared blankly. For lack of anything better to do, the man let his brow   
furrow and a tiny frown creep onto his lips.   
For the first time that morning, Bulma's cerulean stare met the ouji's. Conflicting   
emotions could be easily distinguish in her restless features. Anger burned it's way over   
the onna's face, causing her mouth to form a stiff line. A sheet of exhaustion dulled her   
normally radiant glow.   
The one that surprised him most, though, was the naked look of unadulterated   
pain. Vejita had seen the onna broken and depressed before, when she had been deceived   
by Yamcha. But, Bulma had never once looked that intense into his midnight glare. Their   
bond could be clouding his normally clear mind, but the saiyajin didn't have time to think   
about that aspect of the situation.   
Bulma strode to the room's entrance. Her legs never quivered once before she   
stood, inches away from him. With Trunks still in her arms, his bright blue eyes looking   
everywhere at once, she grasped the shiny door knob. Spidery fingers slipped around the   
cool metal. Not once breaking their gaze, the onna slowly pushed the painted door shut.   
Vejita only blinked as he heard the clean sound of the lock clicking into place. 

_~*~ You think I'm weak - I think you're wrong ~*~_

The shower sprayed a few stray strands of water before sputtering to a stop.   
Vejita let the last of the warm liquid wrap it's way down his slick body before pushing the   
now opaque glass doors of the shower stall open. Stepping out, the saiyajin gave a short   
flare of his ki to dry off. Steam glistened in the air, frail breaths darted around the ouji as   
he walked to the bathroom's counter.   
After the odd breakfast and silent confrontation, the man had retreated to the   
comfort of the gravity chamber to train their memory away. If the onna wanted to be   
difficult, he wasn't going to interfere. Just because they were bonded didn't mean he had   
to deal with every one of her little melodramas. Even after getting a door disrespectfully   
shut in his face, Vejita decided not to rip the contraption off it's hinges and instead let   
Bulma be. He could teach her the proper respect for a saiyajin no ouji later.   
At least, that was what the saiyajin had planned to do. But punch after punch, kick   
after kick, his mind drifted back to the way the aqua haired lady had looked at the kitchen   
table that morning. It was as if she'd break into a thousand pieces with just a wrong   
glance sent her way. The sight troubled him, that she would allow herself to look so   
weak, especially in front of him. Bulma knew the man would only reprimand her for it.   
Sighing as he pressed the gleaming shut down button, Vejita decided that his   
waning concentration wasn't going to let him train that day. He might as well take a hot   
shower and maybe, if she started a conversation with him, find out what was wrong with   
his mate. 

_~*~ I think you're already leaving ~*~_

The ouji grabbed the garments that lay in a neat pile next to him on the counter.   
He quickly slid on a loose pair of gray pants, buttoning them up the front, and then pulled   
a snug black tank top over his stark hair onto his overly muscular chest. Reaching out to   
open the door, Vejita exited the bathroom as clouds of steam writhed and dispersed into   
the hallway's cool air current.   
As he walked, the saiyajin tensed suddenly just as he was coming up to Trunks's   
room. For the first time since the brat was born, the ouji's battle senses could not pick up   
the child's growing ki. A stab of paternal fear struck Vejita as his stomach lurched.   
Without a second thought, he barreled down the rest of the tight corridor and burst   
through the now unlocked door into the place were his son should have been sleeping.   
Staring at the sight before him, the man could only look to his mate. Bulma sat in   
a metal chair, still dressed in the fluffy robe with a mess of blue locks escaping their secure   
clip at the base of her neck. Next to the onna was a rosewood crib, empty and silent.   
Fingers, lengthy and slim, traced the lines of an imprint that the lavender headed child had   
left. The infant was nowhere to be found. Only a slight indent in the soft blankets   
remained.   
"Onna!," he barked, trying to pull Bulma out of her trance.   
"Onna, where is my son?," his tone was threatening, even though he knew she   
couldn't be intimidated that easily. What little parenting instincts the ouji contained along   
with his steadily growing temper mixed, making his voice loud and harsh.   
Eyes still downcast to where the child had been laying not long before, she replied   
calmly,   
"I sent him to stay with the Son's.," 

_~*~ Feels like your hand is on the door ~*~_

"Nani?," Vejita asked, his speech chilled like ice. He couldn't believe what she   
had just said. The onna had sent their son away to Kakorotto's mate without even so   
much as telling him! Shifting to stand a little taller, the ouji waited for an explanation.   
_How dare she._ It wasn't like he sent a lot of time with the brat, but it was the man's child.   
Obsidian eyes danced with anger as Bulma turned to face him.   
A small breath roughly caught in the saiyajin's throat. Her normally rosy cheeks   
were drained of all their color, leaving pale husks taunt from the frown that tugged at the   
corners of ashen lips. Darkened blue eyes returned his stern gaze.   
"Chi-Chi came to pick him up while you were in the shower. She will be taking   
care of him with Gohan's help.," A hint of rage rasped at her voice as she spoke. Fists   
balled and knuckles white, he growled his response.   
"Why!?,"   
The onna stood suddenly. Her own temper now flaring out of control as she   
moved toward him. Heated words were thrown from Bulma's lips.   
"Why!? You have the gall to ask me why I did what I thought was best for my   
son!? Why I had him removed from this house, like I didn't have the right!?,"   
The shocking sound of skin contacting skin echoed throughout the house as the   
onna raised her hand and brought it down on the saiyajin's left cheek. The slap was hard,   
forcing Vejita to drop his normal mask of confidence for a split second as his face turned.   
It wasn't it's strength that surprised him, it was the brave action itself.   
"It's because of you, yaro! It's because I don't want him here with an otu-san like   
you!,"   
She might as well have speared at him with a rusty rapier. The animosity in her   
voice sunk deep into the ouji, making his heart beat faster. Carefully composing himself,   
Vejita turned to glare back at the onna with his inky eyes.   
"And... And when I'm around you...," Bulma's venom ran dry as unshed tears   
threaten to overflow. She swallowed a shattering sob.   
"I'm not a good kaa-san.," 

_~*~ I thought this place was an empire ~*~_

Vejita let the onna's slim form easily pass him as she ran from the room. Tiny   
droplets splashed onto his bear shoulder. Salty tears wetted the ouji's thick skin as he   
brushed them off in a single motion. Rubbing the residue between his chubby fingers, a   
slight throb began to beat inside the saiyajin's chest. _Where in hell did that come from?_   
As he thought, the pain steadily increased. _ Kuso!_ Vejita knew the sensation   
could only be caused by their bond. That worried him. _If I can feel her within me... Then_   
_this isn't one of that onna's normal outbursts._ It had to be much more serious then their   
regular verbal spars.   
Turning to follow her, the saiyajin wondered why their bond hadn't warned him of   
Bulma's feelings before then. Remembering the hateful intonation in her voice, a powerful   
shiver raced down his sculpted back as he descended the staircase.   
What had the man done that caused the onna so much rage? True, he had been   
training as hard as when Mirei no Trunks's warned the Z senshi about the androids three   
and a half years ago. But, why would that cause her such pain? A warrior had to keep   
their body in prime shape, even in times of peace. Besides, the ouji returned to Bulma's   
room every night where they always made love before falling asleep. Wasn't that enough?   
Vejita reached the bottom of the staircase. Slowly he stepped into the living room   
where he saw Bulma, hunched over with her small hands covering her crying face, sitting   
on a large gray toned couch. 

_~*~ Now I'm relaxed - I can't be sure ~*~_

Vejita had to fight the unwavering urge to sit himself next to Bulma and comfort   
the broken onna. She looked more helpless than she had back on Nameku-sei years ago.   
Instead he stood by her silently, thick arms crossed in their normal position on his chest.   
Desperate gasps escaped the onna's heaving chest as she took her hands away   
from her pallid face and forced herself to sit up. Stomach twisting into a burning knot, she   
looked to the man's remaining icy glare. Every part of Bulma's delicate body seemed to   
be aching, even her eyes, as she began to speak.   
"I can't do this.,"   
Heart tightening, Vejita still would not give into the assault of emotions that now   
plagued him. He only flashed a deep scowl.   
"Do what?," he asked in as calm a tone he could muster. The ouji won't let a   
thread of feeling pass through his carefully crafted persona.   
"I can't live like this any longer, not with you.," 

_~*~ I think you're so mean - I think we should try ~*~_

The navy carpeting beneath the saiyajin's feet began to swim. Walls imploded and   
colors inverted as he shut his eyes, desperately trying to get his askew bearings back.   
Silently counting to three Vejita slowed his rapid breathing and reopened his gaze, the   
living room normal once again. _What in the hell!?_   
"I've reached my breaking point, Vejita. I can't handle another day like this with   
you.," she began in a bittersweet tone.   
"Things were so different when we started together. I mean, you still trained, I   
still worked, and we still argued constantly, but we weren't anything like we are now.,"   
Bulma summoned the strength to stand and face him. Shakily, she stood. Biting   
her lip slightly, the onna continued.   
"Both of us were so lonely back then. That's how we started. We both need to be   
comforted, and cared for, and touched.," Symbolically, she brushed a stray blue lock   
away from her eyes, letting her fingers trace the shaped of her cheek.   
"We fell into passion. Making love was always special, even you can't deny that.,"   
Vejita gave a small snort. It was true, the Chikyuujin was the best partner he had   
ever been with. Bulma wasn't a saiyajin, so she didn't feel or move or act like one in bed.   
She was tender, fluid, and sensual, everything that onnas of his own race were not. The   
ouji had never felt so close to anyone else he had ever slept with.   
"Most importantly, though," she continued sadly "I never once doubted you cared   
for me.," 

_~*~ I think I could need - this in my life ~*~_

"Now, I doubt you even have the ability to care.," Little by little, anger crept it's   
way into Bulma's words.   
"You lock yourself in your damn gravity room all day, away from Trunks and me!   
At night you only come back to me so we can..," She stopped for a moment to cover her   
face yet again with smooth palms.   
"Kami-sama! I can't even call it making love, anymore. I just lay there while you   
take your pleasure.," Forcing her hands back down to her sides, Bulma looked Vejita in   
the eye once more and spat;   
"We screw! We screw until you get tired and doze off so you can wake up early   
the next morning and start the cycle over again!   
"That's exactly what Yamcha did to me! The only difference is your mistresses are   
training and pride.," Tears began to cloud her vision as she continued.   
"Even worse, you never spend time with your son. He's young, be he still needs   
you! I won't let him grow up in a house where his otu-san is either never around or   
constantly fighting with his kaa-san. I refuse to Vejita!,"   
Their bond torn at his chest, it throbbed with every accusation she made that he   
couldn't deny. The ouji growled in spite of it, though.   
"Onna, you knew what I was when we started. I never once deceived you! Unlike   
that weakling former mate of yours-,"   
"Iie." Bulma spoke softly, cutting him off.   
"You've become indifferent to me, just like he did. You are no better than   
Yamcha.," 

_~*~ I think I'm scared - I think too much ~*~_

"You know...," her voice cracked suddenly as salty teardrops spilt over the   
onna's pale cheeks. They dripped like crystals from her chin onto the plush robe she   
wore, evaporating into the soft fabric.   
"...I used to believe that a fake anything was better than a real nothing.,"   
Bulma closed her eyes languidly and took the deepest breath she had ever taken in   
her life.   
"And that's why I'm leaving you, Vejita. Today, right now.," cerulean eyes shot   
open to make contact with the saiyajin's ebony gaze. This time, he made no effort to hide   
his astonishment.   
"Because, I know better than that now. I know I'd rather live forever alone   
wanting something I can never have, a man who will love me, than live one more day with   
you having something I never wanted...," Bulma's voice dropped so low that Vejita may   
not have been able to hear it had he not been a saiyajin.   
"...a man who can't love me.," 

_~*~ I know it's wrong it's a problem I'm dealing ~*~_

The onna stepped swiftly pass the shocked ouji. She walked to the darkened   
staircase and began to ascend it, never once looking back.   
Vejita somehow found his way to the gray couch and sat in the same soft spot his   
mate had been sitting minutes before. _Bulma's leaving me?_ The ouji could only stare at   
the void of carpeting in front of him as a thousand questions dashed through the saiyajin's   
head. Mainly; _How could she?_   
On Vejita-sei, breaking a bond was impossible. Both partners would suffer serious   
physical and emotional pain if they ever tried to leave each other. In many cases the   
symptoms either directly caused the death of a mate, or forced them to take their own   
lives. That was exactly why bonding was a weakness, it could literally kill a saiyajin. Not   
only that, the death itself was more painful than the messiest of ki blasts.   
Bulma soon returned down the stairs. She had changed into a pair of slim cut   
faded jeans and a wrinkled Capsule Corp T-shirt. Under each arm the onna carried a jam   
packed leather suitcase.   
Making her way to the door, she was unaware that with each step pain cut deep in   
Vejita's chest. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her.   
"Sayonara, Saiyajin no Ouji.,"   
The front door slid nearly silently open and shut, save for a small whoosh of   
compressed air. Afterwards, only the electrical hum of an air conditioner echoed   
throughout the almost empty house.   
When Vejita was sure he had heard Bulma pop her air car capsule and load   
luggage into it's back, he stood. Slowly, he went to the window as the vehicle's jets   
whizzed to a start. Parting the dark curtains easily, the man peeked out to see the car float   
into a thick patch of forest that lined the compound and out of his sight.   
For the first time since Furiza had taken him from his home planet as a child, Vejita   
felt lost. His eyes began to itch unnaturally. The ouji turned abruptly and rubbed the   
feeling out of them with the back of a large hand.   
The saiyajin decided he should take advantage of this... opportunity... to get some   
hard training done. There was no onna around to scream at him for getting scraps and   
bruises, or to interrupt him with an annoying plea to get some sleep. Without anyone in   
the mansion he could workout all day and night without being bothered. _What do I care if_   
_that baka onna leaves!? I'll finally get some peace and quiet!_

_~*~ If you're gone - maybe it's time to come home ~*~_

"KUSO!," Vejita roared, firing a barrage of large ki blasts from his strong hands.   
The energy cast an eerie royal blue glow around the gravity chamber as they circled the   
mechanical training ground.   
Grinding his pointed teeth, the ouji crossed his muscular arms in front of him at the   
wrists. A shield of reflective ki formed from the motion. It pulsated before the warrior as   
his aggressive frustration mounted. The man's reflexes weren't nearly as sharp as they   
usually were and his mind continued to lose it's steel concentration.   
Pulling his arms back to his sides with a shout, the saiyajin forced the massive   
shield forward into the now advancing balls of ki. The energies made an explosive   
collision as a giant array of sparks shot down onto Vejita like rain. He had miss judged   
their strength, though, for five ominous blasts still headed straight for him.   
Screaming, the saiyajin's formerly cobalt aura sprang into a golden blaze. The   
fatal ki attacks were reflected in all directions from the magnitude of his power. Each   
crashed into part of the circular chamber's wall as Vejita's wild hair switched shades from   
a soulless black to platinum blond. Aquamarine eyes watched the domed ceiling as it   
cracked into intricate spider web patterns before blowing out entirely from the super   
saiyajin's immense ki.   
Walls began to disintegrate around the ouji as he fell to his knees. They crumbled   
under their own weight, shattering strait to the ground just like a sand castle's crushed   
structure. Vejita's shrouded energy dispersed as his chest heaved and white dots broke   
into his vision. With hair and eyes both ebony once again, pain splintered throughout the   
ouji's body forcing the man to fall down on all fours. Shards of plexiglas and shrapnel   
assaulted his steadily rising and falling back.   
_That shouldn't have taken this much energy._ Vejita thought, still trying to catch   
his racing breath. It felt as if some mysterious assailant was ripping his ki out through his   
breast. Bending a heavy neck, the ouji rested his large forehead atop the cracked tiles of   
the chamber's remaining floor.   
He tried to ignore the sharp bits of debris that sliced their way through his tanned   
skin. The air around the ouji's form suddenly seemed thick and sour. It was sucked in by   
quick gasps, where it then enter the man's lungs, and seemed to hang and condense.   
"Shi-Shimatta!," Vejita stammered as he could do nothing but fight off the nearing   
sensation of suffocating with every shallow breath. 

_~*~ There's an awful lot of breathing room ~*~_

_~*~ But I can hardly move ~*~_

_~*~ If you're gone - baby you need to come home ~*~_

As Bulma pulled up to the Son's residence, she had to fight off the overpowering   
desire to turn the air car around and flee back to Capsule Corp grounds. Gripping the   
smooth plastic steering wheel, the onna made her way rigidly forward. _I won't go back._   
she chided herself while parking the hover vehicle next to a large oak tree just to the right   
of the country house.   
Jumping out of her the car, the onna felt utterly exhausted as she removed her   
heavy suitcases from it's trunk. Cursing herself for not capsuling the large bags, Bulma   
realized she didn't even have the energy left to cry. All the lady wanted to do was return   
home in reach of the arrogant saiyajin's secure arms. _But, wishes like that never come_   
_true..._   
Pushing a stray cyan lock away from her face, the onna could already hear the   
energetic shouts of a young warrior even before he showed his face. Gohan ran outside   
his home happily to meet Bulma, dark hair rustling gentle as he moved.   
"Konbanwa Bulma-san!," echoed his young voice cheerfully as he took her   
luggage. Looking to the horizon, she noticed that dusk's amber glow was quickly being   
eaten away by night's shadow. It was indeed evening.   
Where had all the time gone? It hadn't felt like that long of a drive. When she   
thought about it, Bulma realized Chi-Chi did live a ways away from her mansion. The air   
car ride was just a blur in the onna's fuzzy memory.   
"Konbanwa Gohan-chan.," she answered him back, plastering a fake grin almost as   
bad as Brief-san's, on her face. The last thing the onna felt like doing was smiling.   
Following the boy into his mountain house, Bulma stole one last glance out at the   
diminishing fiery sunset. _I won't be the first one to break._

_~*~ There's a little bit of something me ~*~_

_~*~ In everything in you ~*~_

Irritatingly joyous notes sung through the small open window next to Bulma's   
bed. Morning streaks spilt onto the wooden floor boards of the warm room as it slowly   
began to fill with light.   
Grumbling, the onna tried to shut out the new day by covering her sea stained head   
with a feather pillow. She hadn't had much sleep. Translucent memories torn at her mind   
throughout the night before, causing rough tears Bulma didn't even know she had to   
cascaded down her raw cheeks.   
Giving up the losing battle against dawn, the onna threw the soft pillow in the   
general direction of the windowsill. Her aim being totally off, it did nothing to quiet the   
twittering creature singing in it's tree.   
Sighing heavily, Bulma pushed herself into a sitting position. Every inch of the   
onna dully throbbed from sleeping on an unfamiliar mattress. She stretched to rid herself   
of the pain, wincing at the soft sounds of bones and joints cracking as she did so.   
Raising a hand to her tired face, the onna rubbed the last bit of fitful sleep from   
aqua eyes. She already knew they must be puffy and pink from her excessive crying the   
day before.   
Shuffling around in the open leather suitcase at her feet, the onna soon found a   
hand held mirror. Grimacing, she took in her reflection. Along with the earlier fears, dark   
purplish circles drooped just above Bulma's cheek bones. Thick blue locks lay matted to   
her head, their ends feathering out every which way. The only good thing about the image   
seemed to be that it showed her pale face was slowly returning to it's usual rosy tone.   
_If Vejita could only see me now!_ she mused silently. _He'd never let me live this_   
_down. _ The onna made a small sound halfway between a laugh and a sob as the mirror   
dropped back into her bag with a muffled plop. Grabbing a heavy velvet robe from the   
suitcase, she stood. Quickly shrugging the soft violet material over her bear shoulders,   
Bulma tied the waistband tight to obscure the view of her barely decent silver nightie.   
Opening the door to her room, the delicious aroma of Chi-Chi's homemade   
breakfast drifted past the onna's petite nose. The scent of seasoned eggs and mixed   
greens picked at every one of her taste buds. A tiny grin broke through Bulma's stern   
expression as she leaned against the door frame, savoring the smell of her friend's great   
cooking.   
She was forced to give herself a mental slap. _Kami-sama Bulma, it's just_   
_breakfast! You're as bad as Vejita around a meal! _ the onna reprimanded herself as she   
padded down the deserted hallway to the lively kitchen. 

_~*~ I bet you're hard to get over ~*~_

Sizzling frying pans and clattering utensils filled the kitchen with a jagged   
rhythm as Bulma entered. Her friend was quite busy putting the finishing touches on some   
brightly shaded omelets. Chi-Chi grabbed a couple shiny plates from the counter next to   
her and turned to place them on a small table when she noticed the aqua banged onna   
already sitting silently there.   
"Ohayo Bulma-chan!," Chi-Chi greeted her with a happy tone and a warm smile.   
She set a dish in front of Bulma as the onna yawned widely.   
"Ohayo Chi-chan.," she replied, groggy with her eyelids squinted.   
Giving her a worried look, the lady turned back to the stove, raven hair pinned   
tightly to the top of her head in a neat bun.   
"I was going to let you sleep in this morning. I even sent Gohan out grocery   
shopping so he wouldn't wake you.," Chi-Chi knew that no matter how hard she pushed   
her child to study, he had too much of his otu-san in him not to sneak around and train   
behind her back. She figured Bulma probably had a bad enough night without having to   
wake to the shattering crash of a large ki blast just outside her window.   
Watching Chi-Chi work, the onna noticed how the lady seemed to almost glow.   
But, it wasn't from the murky sunlight that tried to penetrate the small steamed up kitchen   
window. _Pregnancy will do that to you._ Bulma thought to herself, reminiscing the days   
when she had been caring Trunks. _My skin was so clear then, even Vejita gave me one of_   
_his sorry excuses for a compliment._ Propping her smooth elbows up on the rough   
wooden table, she rested her head in her small hands.   
Bulma pursed her thick lips slightly as she watched Chi-Chi pulled a long white   
spatula out of a small kitchen drawer. _How can she do it all?_ the onna wondered. She   
knew how hard it was to prepare enough food for one saiyajin, the lady couldn't even   
begin to imagine how much her friend had to cook when Son-kun had been around. The   
former warrior even managed to raise a child by herself while being six months pregnant   
with another. Plus, the fact that Chi-Chi did all of those things while still managing to   
keep her house spotless amazed Bulma even more.   
"You're damned country birds woke me up.," the onna explained jokingly.   
"Can I help you with anything?," she was suddenly embarrassed that the pregnant   
lady was doing all of the work.   
"Iie.," replied Chi-Chi as she shut off the stove's burners, dancing blue flames   
disappearing from sight.   
"I'm done.," Taking a large steel frying pan into her right hand, she walked over   
to the kitchen table and placed a scrumptious looking omelet on each of their plates.   
"Arigato.," Thanked Bulma as she began to dig into the wonderfully scented   
breakfast.   
Chi-Chi sat carefully down, enlarged stomach making the task cumbersome, and   
tried to comfort her rueful friend.   
"Poor dear, thoughts of that baka kept slithering their way into your head all night,   
ne? I told you to just leave that monster a note, but you insisted on telling the thing you   
were leaving him in person.,"   
The onna could only shoot her friend an exasperated look as she tried to finish a   
mouthful of egg and peppers. The pregnant lady never hid her distaste for the saiyajin no   
ouji. It was an understandable hatred, but that made it no less annoying.   
"Chi-Chi, he deserved at least that.," Bulma tried to explain in a low pleading   
voice.   
"I don't see why!," interjected the raven headed onna with passionate fire flaring   
in her dark eyes.   
"He's rude, arrogant, cruel, and those are his good points! That 'man,' has been   
nothing but trouble since the day his hard head hit Chikyuu! He's the original reason my   
Gohan had to become a warrior. Not to mention, the millions of lives he's massacred   
across the galaxy. Plus the fact he's tried to kill MY HUSBAND numerous times---,"   
"Vejita's different now!," defended Bulma, her volume rising to Chi-Chi's level.   
"He saved Son-kun's life when he was battling #19! And that 'monster,' also   
fought along side of the Z warriors against Cell! He almost lost his life for the sake of   
Chikyuu! What more proof do you need?,"   
"It was his fault Cell became perfect in the first place!!," spat the pregnant onna.   
Silence overtook the scene. The two sat uncomfortably in quiet for quite some   
time after that. Neither was willing to budge on their opinion of the saiyajin in question.   
Suddenly, a high pitched wail pierced through the tension laden air. It came from   
the shadowed hallway behind the friends.   
"Trunks needs to be feed.," Bulma explained simply as she stood to retrieve the   
baby formula left back in her room. The onna recognized her child's odd ability to save   
her from unpleasant situations.   
"Wait.," Chichi chimed after her friend. She carefully rose from her seat and   
walked over to the kitchen's large cast iron sink. In a quick motion, the onna pulled a   
small baby's bottle out from a previously unseen black pot of steamy water that set inside   
it.   
Holding one strong arm strait, Chi-Chi squeezed a few tiny droplets of warm milk   
onto her dainty wrist. Finding the liquid at a perfect temperature, she wiped the moist   
container on her soft apron and thrust it into Bulma's hands.   
"You didn't think I was going to let the poor boy go hungry, ne?," she question,   
quirking a thin black brow at her friend.   
Bulma graced the onna with an honest smile.   
"Chi-chan, you're an angel.," She thanked, turning to walk down the short   
corridor to the boisterous room where her son was crying out for his kaa-san.   
The tanned door swung lazily open as Bulma stepped into the cozy space.   
Sunlight glittered through a crystal clear window, half obscured by flowing crimson   
curtains. Dust particles were illuminated as they wafted carelessly around the comforting   
scene. A tall multi-drawer dresser sat alone against the adjacent wall, while a tough   
mahogany crib stood stoically to it's opposite. The only other piece of furnishing in the   
room was an antique looking rocking chair placed next to the screaming child's bed.   
Trunks bellowed, tiny fists balled and waving wildly through the thin air. He   
calmed to a dull murmur as his kaa-san approached. The onna lifted the infant to her chest   
and wrapped delicate arms around him as she sat back in the cushioned rocker.   
"That's my boy.," Bulma purred, placing the bottle between his small lips. The   
baby took it into his chubby red hands and greedily suckled at the sweet milk. A bead of   
runny liquid escaped the plundering mouth and ran it's way down his round tender cheek.   
Giggling, the onna wiped the wetness away with a gentle motion as she thought of   
how much the child was already like Vejita. Trunks had inherited the same chiseled   
features as his saiyajin otu-san, stark and noticeable even at his age. He also definitely   
received the ouji's intense stare. Bulma had already been caught in the boy's royal blue   
eyes quite a few times since his birth. As young as he was, there were a few moments   
where she could swear he was looking right into the onna's soul.   
A firm difference remained between her son's serene look and Vejita's ebony   
abyss, though. Flecks of a new hope shone in Trunks's beautiful eyes, along with a   
palpable kindness in their depth. Her mate's cold glare was always haunted with fleeting   
memories and hidden turmoil. They hardly ever revealed the slightest bit of sympathy, let   
alone caring.   
The baby squinted in pleasure, his stomach now full. Ethereally, Bulma began to   
rock back and forth in the old chair. Trunks was beginning to lull into a peaceful slumber,   
when a small arm shot out to grasp one of the onna's slim fingers with his entire fist.   
Surprised, she brought her rocking to an immediate stop. Looking down, the lady   
noticed that her son had indeed fallen asleep holding on to his kaa-san. Bulma stood   
slowly and carefully replaced the infant back in the warm crib. She gingerly removed her   
finger from his hold, which was more difficult than she imagined with him being half   
saiyajin. Pulling soft blankets over the child's shoulders, the onna sighed contentedly.   
Brushing thick lips over a lavender banged forehead, she whispered;   
"Aishiteru, my son. I don't understand why your otu-san can't.," 

_~*~ I bet the room just won't shine ~*~_

Lying back on a hand stitched quilt, Bulma watched silently as an amber glow   
fought the approaching darkness across her ceiling. Candles on the bed stand that sat next   
to the onna burnt passionately as she simply lay, observing. Night clashed against the   
bitter flames as they would flicker, wither, then ignite again in a resilient act to fend off the   
consuming shadows.   
It had been an entire week since her departure and not once did Vejita even   
attempt to bring the onna home. Cerulean locks shrouded Bulma's worried face as yellow   
and red brilliance played along it's rigid contour.   
A sharp roar of knocking broke her stream of consciousness. Abruptly, she sat   
strait up and told the person to enter while rubbing the stiffness from her slim neck.   
Chi-Chi, dressed in a simple white cotton night gown that stretched at her   
oversized belly and hung from her pregnant form, entered the dimly lit room.   
"I thought you where still awake.," she spoke quietly, since Gohan had already   
gone to bed.   
"Hai, I haven't been getting much sleep lately.," Bulma answered as she ran   
lengthy fingers through aqua tresses, trying to rid them of snarls.   
Sitting down on the blanketed bed next to her friend, Chi-Chi noticed the glazed   
and pain tainted gleam in the onna's eyes. Frowning tightly, she tried to console Bulma.   
"You know," the lady started as Bulma shifted her long legs into an Indian sit "as   
much as I hate that conceded saiyajin, I think you should talk to him. You're really   
worrying me---," The onna's eyes flashed in anger.   
"Absolutely not! I've tried to reach out to Vejita more than enough times.," She   
pushed herself off the mattress and began to pace around the small room with arms   
crossed at her breast.   
"If he truly cares about me, he'll find his own way here...," trailed off the onna as   
she reached the darkened windowsill and halted. Bulma gazed up into the endless inky   
sky. It's only potch mark was the stark white moon that shone in a surreal misty glow.   
Her voice continued in just above a whisper.   
"...If he doesn't, then I don't need him.," 

_~*~ I bet my hands I can stay here ~*~_

"Bulma-chan.," Chi-Chi cooed. She stood and drifted over to her friend, putting a   
warm hand atop the lady's tense shoulder.   
"You know you can stay in this house as long as you need to, but you can't live   
here forever. What are you going to do if he doesn't come?,"   
"I don't know.," Bulma rasped, throat going dry and heart wrenching at the   
thought.   
"I just don't know.," She turned to face the pregnant onna.   
"But I'm sure that I can't go back home. You've been so kind Chi-chan, but you   
don't understand! This is a decision Vejita has to make on his own!," Burning tears   
sprang from her large eye's as she tried to explain. Emotions ran rampant in the tired   
voice.   
"I can't go on living the life we had together..," Bulma spoke, the sensitive pads   
of her fingertips resting on the spot over her heart.   
"...and I'm still hoping, some where inside of him, he can't either.," 

_~*~ I bet you need - more than you mind ~*~_

  
A smooth glassed slipped from the saiyajin's large hands as a wave of fiery pain   
washed over his body. The object shattered on the cool linoleum floor below, spraying   
jagged shards in a tight circle. Vejita gripped the solid kitchen counter in front of him for   
support as the searing sensation of flames penetrating his skin continued. Needle-like   
splinters of the ledge slowly fell to the ground, joining the sharpened glass fragments.   
_Kuso! Not again! _ the ouji thought enraged. The burning sense began to ebb   
gradually, leaving a dull throb in it's aftermath. He began to stand strait once more, trying   
not to wince at the soreness the motion caused. Vejita's obsidian gaze fixed itself on the   
lush forest surrounding the Capsule Corp compound, which could be seen through the   
small kitchen window where he stood.   
"Shimatta bonding!," the saiyajin growled low under his breath. Intense   
sensations like his latest bout of fervent pain had plagued the ouji since just hours after   
Bulma's departure. The symptoms only had one thing in common; they would always   
hammer into Vejita hard and without warning, then leave just as quickly like nothing had   
happened.   
Sometimes, the bonding responses would trick the man into thinking he was   
suffocating so the ouji would gasp for breath. They could also drain the saiyajin of his   
strength, like some beguiling vampire was hiding in dark shadows and feeding on Vejita's   
ki when thirst struck. Or, like just moments before, the mechanism could inflame his   
perceptions and create a raging inferno around the ouji's form.   
Ignoring the pointed mess below him, Vejita simply turned away from the   
woodland view and strode over to the room's vacant dining table. He sat down heavily,   
placing his large elbow on the piece of furniture and resting a furrowed brow in his strong   
hand. A steady frown held Vejita's thick lips as dark eyes stared out blankly in a quiet   
daze. _Is it this bad for that baka onna?_   
Bonding had an extraordinary ability to conform with a creature's personality. It   
could hide itself within a person and lay dormant for quite some time until the link felt a   
need to be noticed. It was another reason why bonding was such a powerful force, when   
the connection lashed out it would attack a mate in a way they couldn't ignore. Thus,   
affecting each partner differently.   
Vejita had already determined that his reactions were all of a physical nature. _ It's_   
_probably emotional for her. _ the ouji thought with a snort. Memories of the viciously   
painful glare in Bulma's aqua eyes before she left clawed at the edges of the saiyajin's   
consciousness. Shaking his head roughly, the man tried to fend off against the images   
with no avail. 

_~*~ I think you're so mean - I think we should try ~*~_

Hastily, Vejita stood. The saiyajin began to walk out of the stainless kitchen when   
an unseen force collided with him. Immense pressure assaulted the man, pressing him   
forward onto worn knees. Cursing, another retaliation of the ouji's bond began to wreck   
it's havoc.   
In this trial, he felt as if the weight of the world was literally resting on his sturdy   
shoulders. Tons of mass pounded down atop Vejita's crouching form. Stiffening, the   
saiyajin tried his best to defy the invisible power by attempting to stand under it's heft. As   
punishment, the man was smashed violently downwards onto the cold surface of the   
room's floor. Lying on his hard stomach, the saiyajin was now totally horizontal.   
Vejita could only wait on the still linoleum for the crushing sensation to pass.   
With one last devastating blow that the ouji swore had broken a majority of his ribs, the   
fierce symptom released it's hold on the host. Breathing rapidly, the saiyajin had to rest   
on the kitchen floor for a few minutes before carefully getting onto his knees and returning   
to a stand.   
Examining himself briefly, the ouji found that he hadn't sustained any physical   
injuries from the bonding response. _But, what if this gets worse? _ the saiyajin questioned   
in his mind. Quietly contemplating, Vejita finally came to a decision.   
"I'm going to bring her back.," the ouji said in a strongly defined tone.   
Momentarily, he closed his eyes to organized the unsettling thoughts .   
Vejita didn't like to admit it, but the last week had been a blazing hell for him. It   
wasn't merely the fact that his precious gravity machine was demolished or purely the   
unwavering bonding mechanisms that shaped the terrible week, though. Deep inside,   
under the rippling muscles and ragged battle scars, the ouji missed his onna and brat.   
Bulma was loud mouthed, temperamental, and annoying, while the child screamed   
excessively at every hour of the day. Despite all of his rationalizations, the man still   
wanted them back at Capsule Corp more than anything.   
Angrily, the saiyajin punched the kitchen's wooden door frame. The jab caused   
the entire mansion to quiver at Vejita's power. _I'm becoming as weak as Kakorotto!_ The   
ouji actually craved little things he had over looked so easily to return. Vejita had noticed   
scents of flowery shampoo and heavy baby powder no longer graced his sensitive nostrils.   
Joyous morning squeals and sultry midnight phrases never fell upon the ouji's ears.   
Loneliness hadn't clouded the man so thickly since he had been wished back to life after   
dying at Furiza's hands almost four years ago. 

_~*~ I think I could need - this in my life ~*~_

Vejita dashed out to the tall building, pride nipping at his heels. It's strong pull   
tempted the ouji to stay in the lavish house and not give into his shameful needs. For   
once, the saiyajin refused to listen to the rough nagging voice.   
Regulating his ki, the man lifted off into the sky. He used his senses to deliberately   
find one of Chikyuu's strongest warriors, Son Gohan. Locating the familiar power, the   
ouji headed off in it's direction.   
_If our child is with him, then that's where the onna will be. _Vejita calmly   
reasoned as he flew. The urge to turn back still hung over the his head, but the saiyajin   
would pay the impulse no heed. No matter how pathetic it made him, the ouji's decision   
was final. He would rather live weakened with a mate at his side than blaze in hell alone.   
As the man came close the quaint residence, a striking realization broke through   
his consciousness. Stopping cold, a single haunting melody played softly in the saiyajin's   
stern mind. _That song... _ Bulma had been airily humming it to put her lavender headed   
child to sleep the day she had left.   
"...it was from the Capsule Corp galla. The first night we slept together...," Vejita   
whispered, deep voice trailing off. Smirking, the ouji remembered his efforts to push the   
onna away that evening. He feared she was becoming too close. The little minx had seen   
right through the saiyajin's careful plot, though, and that night had presented the man with   
a sanctuary from his stifling solitude.   
Continuing to fly slightly faster, Vejita was determined to repay her gracious favor. 

_~*~ I think I'm just scared - that I know too much ~*~_

The saiyajin landed swiftly outside the country dwelling. He heard a sharp crash of   
it's entrance slamming open. Turning, Vejita saw Kakorotto's mate standing solidly at the   
front of the cozy house. She was obviously pregnant with her delicate hands on brawny   
hips and a severe look on her youthful face. Hatred and aggression swirled in Chi-Chi's   
frigid glare as she firmly held her ground.   
"Where's the onna and brat?," the ouji demanded gruffly. Vejita would offer her   
no pleasantries. Seething with almost tangible anger, the lady replied in the calmest voice   
she could muster.   
"BULMA is not here right now. She took TRUNKS with her on a walk.," The   
words dripped dangerously from her tounge. Chi-Chi made sure to empathsize the names   
as she spoke.   
_Leave it to Kakorotto to willingly choose the most unpleasant female on this_   
_entire planet for a mate._ the saiyajin mused. He simply scowled at the raven haired onna.   
"Well, Chikyuujin, I suggest you lead the Saiyajin no Ouji to her before I'm forced   
to blast this area to pieces in my search.," Vejita was perfectly able to locate his mate's   
small ki at this distance and find Bulma himself, but he rather enjoyed annoying the Son's   
into doing the task for him.   
Before an enraged Chi-Chi could begin to rant, a juvenile voice from behind   
interrupted her.   
"I'll take you.,"   
Gohan walked from his home, head held high, out to the other warrior. The young   
man hadn't feared Vejita in a long time. Dark eyes sparkling in the bright noon sun and jet   
black hair ruffled atop his head, a faint smile played across the boy's thin lips.   
"Hai, let's go.," was Vejita's only response to the demi-saiyajin's offer. Silently,   
the two rose into the air to find Bulma. 

_~*~ I can't relate and that's a problem I'm feeling ~*~_

Thousands of brightly hued wildflowers bobbed in the warm summer wind.   
They danced wildly to an unheard melody as Vejita touched down in the wide open field.   
Gohan had pointed him to the spot, then retreated to the comforts of his quaint home to   
give the couple some privacy. Patches of fertile grass sparsely patterned the area, claiming   
every inch of ground that was not occupied by a blossom.   
Fair lilting breezes and twittering songbirds were the only sounds that graced the   
wide open pasture. Cold stony eyes analyzed the overly peaceful countryside, searching   
carefully for his missing mate. With a short breath lodging itself in the saiyajin's rough   
throat, he caught sight of the onna's form.   
About thirty meters from where the ouji stoically stood, Bulma sat contented in a   
thick plat of assorted foliage. Ample blue locks cascaded down the lady's shoulders,   
shrouding the top of her contoured back. It shone in the high noon day sun, creating a   
rippling radiance the saiyajin's accurate vision could easily discern.   
Very little make-up adorned the onna's pretty face, only a slight pink gloss graced   
her lush lips as they stretched in a huge grin. Bulma had Trunks at her side, moving in   
short spurts to tickle him with spidery fingers. Cerulean eyes glittered with every joyful   
squeal the child made.   
Uncrossing and crossing her willowy legs, Vejita could see how dark denim shorts   
clung to the lady's bottom curves. As the she bent over to give her son a curt kiss on his   
small forehead, the thin blouse Bulma wore dipped to reveal the tops of her milky white   
breasts. As if in a trance, the ouji began to stroll languidly towards her.   
Trunks shakily stood beside his kaa-san, grabbing slender stems around him for   
support. Many of the different tinged plants were instantly ripped from the soft earth by   
their roots. Laughing at the boy's growing strength, Bulma abruptly stopped as the thump   
of footsteps pounded in her ears.   
Instinctively, she snapped her head around to see the incoming saiyajin. A coral   
blush ran it's way over rounded cheeks as the onna unconsciously mouthed an inaudible   
word. The man didn't need the ability to read lips to know what was said;   
"Vejita...," 

_~*~ If you're gone - maybe it's time to come home ~*~_

_~*~ There's an awful lot of breathing room ~*~_

_~*~ But I can hardly move ~*~_

Bulma couldn't believe what she was seeing. Chest tightening, Vejita strode tall in   
her direction. The scene was more like that of a classic movie or a famous romance novel   
than of reality.   
With midnight hair jutting out stark away from his stone carved features, the ouji   
looked as gorgeous as always. The same intense ebony look from the onna's memories   
chained itself to her vulnerable form. Pressed khaki pants and an unbuttoned navy dress   
shirt seemed to enhance the saiyajin's golden skin, giving him an exotic allure as he never   
once wavered from his path. A muscular chest protruded slightly from the open garment   
which was flapping frantically in the warm winds.   
The cyan haired lady's hopeful heart jumped and began to thump wildly at the   
ouji's approach. Sucking in gluttonous breaths, she desperately tried to still her dizzied   
head. _Stop it Bulma! You don't even know why Vejita's here! There's a good chance_   
_he'll saunter over and demand the gravity room fixed or his dinner cooked._ she   
reprimanded herself.   
Forcing her eyes from the man's smothering stare, Bulma cautiously brought   
Trunks onto her lap. After all that had been said and done, the onna could simply not   
allow herself to run to the man and immediately forgive all of his past transgressions. As   
much as every fiber of the lady's being demanded, her pride was still too intact to give into   
such urges. 

_~*~ If you're gone - baby you need to come home ~*~_

_~*~ There's a little bit of something me ~*~_

_~*~ In everything in you ~*~_

Vejita halted suddenly, inches away from the beauty's frail body. Sea shaded eyes   
had already taken their amazing sheen away from the saiyajin's sight. Exhaling , the ouji   
wasn't aware he had even been holding the long breath. _Kuso._ the man cursed in his   
mind, without rage.   
Bulma looked as if she had been crafted from glass, too exquisite and fragile to   
even touch. Like in some whimsical faerie tale the vibrant buds around her contrasted the   
lady's slim physique, empathizing endless curves and flawless skin.   
Watching the onna for a moment, he found that she refused to look at him.   
Silently, the ouji crouched and in one fluid movement took a seat next to his stationary   
mate. 

_~*~ I think you're so mean - I think we should try ~*~_

"Have you ever lived for anything in your life?," Vejita plainly questioned. His   
voice had a solid strength in it's tone, but none of the usual gruffness. It mentally slapped   
the onna and sent her mind reeling in confusion once more.   
_Nani!?_ she thought, hastily trying to pick through a mess of memories to compose   
a viable answer for the saiyajin.   
"Well," Bulma started, pushing a thick lock away from her flushed cheeks and   
behind an ear.   
"When I was sixteen I met all of my friends while searching for the dragonballs.   
We had so many adventures and became very close to one another. Even Oolong grows   
on you after awhile. I learned to live for them, I guess.,"   
Trunks gave a sharp tug on his kaa-san's silk blouse, as if he could understand her   
every word. Smiling euphorically, the onna continued.   
"I've lived for the love of men.," At this, she dared a quick glance at Vejita.   
"But now, my life has been blessed with a son. I live for Trunks, not because I   
have to," Bulma paused to close her delicate eyelids, "because I want to.,"   
As the onna reopened her large eyes, she noticed the saiyajin staring out into the   
rolling pasture. Almost symbolically, he took a very deep and filling breath.   
"Since the instant I saw my first light, I was raised to be the 'Saiyajin on Ouji,',"   
A sigh escaped the man's thick lips as muddled images of early childhood resurfaced in his   
mind.   
"I was taught to respect and love my position, so I began to live for the day I   
would take the throne of Vejita-sei.," Those times seemed so distant to him, like all they   
had ever been was a fevered dream on a cruel winter's night.   
"When I was ten years old, that rite was brutally torn away from me.," Rage   
slowly seeped into his words which had, up to that point, been serious and monotone.   
"Furiza had stripped me of everything I had ever known or desired. I made an   
oath on the blood of my ancestry that I would slaughter the tyrant with my bare hands.,"   
Fists ball, Vejita's short nails dug into his palms, causing rows of tiny crescent gashes.   
"That goal, too, was stolen from my grasp. Kakorotto had unknowingly   
obliterated my only reason for existing.," Hands falling back to his sides, the saiyajin   
relaxed slightly.   
"My destiny from that point on was clear, I had to become a legendary super   
saiyajin and kill the third class baka.,"   
Shivering, Bulma felt icy pricks dance over her soft skin. The onna always hated it   
when Vejita talked about murdering people close to her. Somehow, though, the man   
sounded different than he had in the past. No jealousy or resentment buried itself in his   
undertones. He sounded almost heavyhearted at the mention of the dead warrior.   
"But I was denied once again.," Dark embers finally caught Bulma's azure bliss as   
the man's face turned to hers.   
"Bulma.,"   
Vejita said it slowly, like the very sound of his mate's name could swallow the   
saiyajin whole. It came out thick and throaty, like he knew no other way to speak.   
"I won't let you take away my last reason to live.," 

_~*~ I think I could need - this in my life ~*~_

Bulma was completely breathless. Her glistening eyes could only blink as she tried   
to comprehend the meaning of his words.   
"You know," the ouji paused to bring one large knee toward his broad chest. "I   
heard everything the brat and you said while you were cutting his hair.," The onna's   
somewhat steady mind was again sent into utter chaos. Bits of memories from just before   
Cell Game quickly returned to her. _Why is he bringing this up now?_   
"He ranted about my cruelty and pride, saying he couldn't imagine how you fell for   
such an arrogant man like me.,"   
Little did Bulma know at the time that Vejita had been right outside her door,   
casually leaning against it's smooth frame while pretending not to eavesdrop.   
The smallest of smirks played across his tense lips.   
"But then, you of all people defended me. You tried to explain that my pride and   
arrogance were only a mechanism to shove people away. After everything I've done to   
you, this planet, and it's people, you still reasoned there was more to me than conceit and   
hate.,"   
A nostalgic tone came to hover just above the couple as they sat in the lovely field.   
Both remembered the conversation well, from two very different view points. Vejita   
draped a thick arm lazily over his upraised knee.   
"When Cell murdered Trunks, something in me snapped.," Bulma already heard   
how the saiyajin, in a fit of blind rage, had tried to take out the villain single-handedly after   
their son's death.   
"It wasn't until he laid before me that I realized it. I didn't have to be the ruthless   
leader my otu-san had brought me up as, or the merciless tyrant Furiza had brain washed   
me into being.   
"I knew then, I didn't want to be the man...,"   
Vejita's steel gaze softened ever so slightly, so that had anyone other than Bulma   
been looking into it's depth they would be unable to distinguish a difference.   
"...that couldn't say Aishiteru to his mate.," 

_~*~ I think I'm just scared - do I talk too much ~*~_

Gasping, the onna's head swam. He said it! The phrase was the closest the ouji   
had ever come to expressing his passion for her. Bulma was close enough to the man to   
know exactly what he was trying to say.   
She had no clue how to respond. The lady had always dreamed, but never   
expected, the saiyajin to actually speak his affections. As of late, the onna wasn't even   
sure if Vejita had ever cared for her.   
"I'll never stop training--," Bulma went into, what seemed like, the largest fit of   
laughter in her life. All the tremendous emotional pain from the past week seemed to   
vaporize out of the onna and seep into the soft ground under the two harmlessly. Trunks   
could only gaze at his kaa-san, eyes wide with curiosity.   
"I'm not Chi-Chi!," she blurted out as the last of the giggles subsided.   
"I'd never want you to! Your 'Training Time,' is the only break I ever get from   
that loud complaining mouth!," Bulma jokingly threw at the warrior, who's face quickly   
dropped to a deep scowl.   
"But, some things do have to change. We both need to change.," the onna spoke   
seriously. She knew that everything wrong in their relationship wasn't the saiyajin's fault.   
They would both have to compromise to make it work. 

_~*~ I know it's wrong it's a problem I'm dealing ~*~_

Vejita was silent for a long moment. His inky eyes took in the sight of her   
practically glowing face. She already looked happier than he could remember seeing the   
onna in months.   
With a surprising speed, the ouji bent down and captured Bulma's broad lips with   
his own. The saiyajin couldn't ignore the irresistible impulse any longer. It was a tender   
kiss, reassuring in it's airiness. He took special care not to plunder the lady, like the man   
did in the previous nights they had slept together. Vejita needed for once to quiet the   
onna's thundering fears.   
Smiling into him, she returned his caresses with the same enthusiasm. A small   
hand softly rested itself upon the ouji's grasp. Intertwining their fingers tightly, they   
finally broke their supple liplock.   
Turning his vision, Vejita looked to his energetic son. Trunks only gurgled light   
baby sounds as he observed his otu-san with profound cobalt eyes.   
Gingerly, the saiyajin let a free hand brush through his child's thin lavender locks.   
Ruffling the silky strands, a pair of tiny fists reached up to grab Vejita's powerful wrist   
playfully. Giggling, the boy just sat as his otu-san stiffened, astonished by the infant's   
innocent act of bravery.   
Bulma smiled warmly. The gentle motion had been the most affectionate action   
Vejita had allowed himself to show his son since the child's birth. 

_~*~ If you're gone- maybe it's time to come home ~*~_

_~*~ There's an awful lot of breathing room ~*~_

_~*~ But I can hardly move ~*~_

_~*~ If you're gone - baby you need to come home ~*~_

_~*~ There's a little but of something me ~*~_

_~*~ In everything in you ~*~_

As the ouji carefully drew the arm back to his side, Bulma unlaced their fingers and   
stood. With Trunks in hand, she took a few steps away from her mate. Without a single   
sound, the plain's surging breeze returned to swirl vivid buds around Trunks and herself.   
Sighing, finally satisfied, the onna took a deep breath. The heavy scent of   
blossoms from all around intoxicated her. For the first time in what had seemed like an   
eternity, the lady felt like everything in her life was as it was meant to be.   
Quickly, she turned to face him. A wide grin was plastered on Bulma's perfect   
lips. Cyan fire playfully jumped in her shining eyes.   
"Vejita, let's go home.," 

_~*~ Something me ~*~_

_~*~ Everything in ~*~_

_~*~ Something me ~*~_

_~*~ In you ~*~_


End file.
